McAfee and TotalAV offer great features but differ in many key areas. McAfee caught more malware files in my tests and has a wider range of features than TotalAV. But TotalAV doesn’t cause any system slowdown and is easier to use than McAfee.
Short on Time? TotalAV vs. McAfee 2025 — Final Verdict:
- 1st place:
- 2nd place:
TotalAV is better for speed, pricing, and ease of use. It also has a better VPN. If you want a good yet affordable internet security suite with incredibly simple functions, go with TotalAV.
McAfee is better for web protection and extra features. If you want a full cybersecurity toolset that includes parental controls and ID theft protection, go with McAfee.
TotalAV vs. McAfee: Quick Summary
Malware Protection — TotalAV Is Lighter on Your System
McAfee — 100% Detection Rate, With Some Slowdown
McAfee’s antivirus scanner checks files against a huge virus database and uses heuristics to identify potentially dangerous files.
It detected 100% of the malware samples I downloaded to my PC. However, the scan did cause some slowdown on my computer. While I could still browse the web, gaming was out of the question while the scan was running.
The full system scan took around an hour. If you’d rather not run it while using your computer, you can easily schedule scans for a more convenient time.
McAfee also offers a real-time protection engine, which was able to stop me from downloading or opening any malware files.
TotalAV — Near-Perfect Detection Rates With No Impact on Performance
TotalAV’s malware scanner is a whitelisted version of Avira’s scanner, which is among the best on the market.
TotalAV’s malware scanner detected 99.6% of malware in my tests. This included hundreds of files such as viruses, rootkits, spyware, and keyloggers. Like McAfee’s scan, it took about an hour, but unlike McAfee, it didn’t use up much CPU.
TotalAV’s real-time protection immediately blocked all the malware files in my tests, putting it on par with McAfee.
Web Security — McAfee’s Phishing Protection Is Superior
McAfee — Reliably Blocks Phishing Sites (for Free)
McAfee’s WebAdvisor tool offers excellent web protection, and it’s available as a free download for Windows and macOS. It identifies phishing sites from a massive database that is continuously updated.
In my tests, it blocked 100% of phishing sites and exploit attacks and detected many dangerous sites that Chrome and Firefox’s built-in protections failed to. If you’re looking for online protection for your Windows or Mac device, WebAdvisor is a great option.
McAfee also has a simple yet effective firewall that stops exploit attacks and unauthorized programs attempting to communicate with remote servers. While it complements rather than replaces Windows’s built-in firewall, I’m still glad McAfee includes this important feature (unlike TotalAV, which lacks a firewall altogether).
Finally, McAfee’s web protections include a cookie and tracker cleaner that works really well.
TotalAV — Decent Phishing Protection + Excellent Ad Blocker
TotalAV’s WebShield blocks phishing sites and online malware distributors. While WebShield blocked most of the phishing sites I tested it against, it didn’t achieve the same perfect score as McAfee’s WebAdvisor.
WebShield uses blacklists of dangerous websites and its own AI-based dangerous website detection system, which works well. Like McAfee’s WebAdvisor, it can be downloaded for free, but it’s also available on Android and iOS.
TotalAV also comes with one of the best ad blockers on the market. It’s effective and highly customizable, but while there technically is a free version of it, only the premium one blocks ads on the most popular sites.
Features — McAfee Comes With More Extras
McAfee — Parental Controls That Stand Out
In addition to its malware scanner and web protections, McAfee’s various plans include:
- System tuneup tools.
- Network scanner.
- Parental controls.
- VPN with unlimited data.
- Password manager (True Key).
- Identity theft monitoring.
- File shredder.
McAfee offers excellent parental controls with its Premium and Advanced Family plans. You can filter web content, limit device usage and internet access, block specific apps, and track device locations. All the features worked well in my tests and were easy to navigate. If you want to monitor your kids’ devices, go with McAfee since TotalAV doesn’t include parental controls.
Another feature that McAfee bundles with some of its higher-tier plans is identity theft protection. It includes various services, such as monitoring a wide range of your data for breaches, removing your info from data broker directories, and more. TotalAV has ID theft protections, but they’re not included in any antivirus plan and are only available to US customers. McAfee’s Identity Protection is available in 30+ countries.
TotalAV — Fewer Features, but They All Work Well
While not as feature-rich as McAfee, TotalAV offers a good selection of well-functioning extras:
- System speedup and cleanup tools.
- VPN with unlimited browsing data.
- Password manager.
- Basic dark web monitoring.
TotalAV’s Safe Browsing VPN is a bit better than McAfee’s VPN. It’s pretty fast and has more than 70 server locations. When I tested it, my download and upload speeds remained high. Unlike McAfee’s VPN, it can access Hulu and Disney+.
TotalAV’s system tune-up is great too. It helps clear out junk files and speeds up your computer’s performance. In fact, when I ran it on my computer, it found nearly 4 GB of junk files!
Ease of Use — TotalAV Is More Beginner-Friendly
McAfee — Most Features Are Easily Accessible
For the most part, McAfee is really simple to install and use. It’s extremely easy to schedule a scan with McAfee. It’s also simple to customize your firewall protection, access the VPN, and run system tune-ups.
That said, it did take me a little while to find all the system tune-up features. And I don’t like that accessing its parental controls requires navigating 3 different menus. Also, its password manager is a separate app instead of being a part of the main McAfee app!
However, my complaints don’t extend to McAfee’s mobile apps, which are well-designed, intuitive, and feature-rich.
TotalAV — Exceptionally Intuitive & Well-Designed Apps
TotalAV is as intuitive to use and set up as an antivirus app can be. The interface is attractive, simple, and never confusing, even for beginners. This is not to say that it lacks customization options: you can use the advanced options under the Settings menu to customize the interface. You can also find the online dashboard in Settings, which has useful video tutorials and FAQs. I liked the online dashboard’s layout even more than the desktop app.
TotalAV’s mobile apps are great, too, with solid security and a good range of useful tools, such as app lock (Android only), Wi-Fi checker, photo and video cleaner, and more.
Plans & Pricing — TotalAV Is More Affordable
McAfee — Unlimited Devices on Most Plans
McAfee has an uncommonly large number of individual and family plans that can all be purchased for 1 or 2 years of protection with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Apart from the most basic plan, Essential, they all cover unlimited devices across all major platforms — which might tip the scale in favor of McAfee for some users.
Each plan has its own strengths: Essential is best suited for individuals with up to 5 devices, Premium (the family version) is good if you have more than 5 devices and kids to protect from harmful web content, and Advanced is a good choice if you need ID theft coverage as well. I’m not a big fan of McAfee’s highest-tier plan, Ultimate, since the number of added features doesn’t justify the steep price increase, but if you need transaction monitoring and ransomware coverage, it might be worth considering.
TotalAV — Great for Bundling Cybersecurity Products
TotalAV’s plan selection is more straightforward than McAfee’s: there are 3 paid plans and 1 free version.
The free version is basically just the malware scanner that’s good for removing an existing infection, but since it doesn’t include any real-time or web protection, you can’t rely on it for prevention.
The paid plans are reasonably priced, with the basic one, Antivirus Pro, being a solid budget option — for $19.00 / year, you get malware protection, real-time protection, phishing protection, and ransomware protection, as well as the premium ad blocker, and system cleanup tools for 5 devices. Internet Security adds one more device and the VPN, while Total Security protects 8 devices and comes with the password manager.
Overall, the basic plan is great if you already have a VPN and password manager. In contrast, the 2 other plans are more suitable for those looking to bundle various cybersecurity products.
Customer Support — TotalAV’s Self-Service Options Are Better
McAfee — Good, but Doesn’t Facilitate Fixing Issues on Your Own
McAfee’s customer support is good, but if you want to fix things on your own, McAfee’s support forum and knowledge base aren’t very helpful.
However, McAfee’s phone and live chat support are excellent. Whenever I reached out to either, I was immediately connected to a very helpful agent. I also found it super convenient that there’s an option to grant remote PC access to support, which makes it much faster and easier to fix a tricky issue.
However, the support forum, which used to host an active and responsive community, is offline while preparations are made for its relaunch (though this has been ongoing for months).
Moreover, the knowledge base is not kept up to date. Many FAQs refer to outdated software versions, so you can’t get the answers you need. Overall, McAfee’s self-service options are currently lacking, but other support channels are genuinely helpful, so it’s not a huge issue.
TotalAV — Knowledgeable & Efficient Support Across All Channels
TotalAV’s customer support is pretty good. It offers live chat, email, 24/7 phone support, and a knowledge base.
TotalAV’s email support team is the most helpful, although it’s not the fastest. They provided a thorough solution to my issue, but it took them 18 hours to reply.
The live chat is the fastest way to get help with any issues. Each time I used it, I connected to an agent within minutes, and they were all efficient and knowledgeable. The only thing I didn’t like was how difficult it was for me to cancel my subscription (the agent kept trying to change my mind).
TotalAV’s phone support is great. There’s country-specific support for the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and Spain. Otherwise, you call a ‘Europe’ or ‘International’ number. Each time I called, I got a quick and knowledgeable response.
Finally, I like how well-organized TotalAV’s knowledge base is. On several occasions, I found answers to my questions and fixed the issues at hand without elevating the matter to the agent level, which I greatly appreciate.
